KANNUR: Vande Bharat has got a rousing reception in Kerala on its first day of entering the state borders. Following suit, in the coming days, more such high-speed trains are said to be on cards for the southern state. Meanwhile, the perilous turns and curves in large prove to be of hindrance to the high-speed trains. To allay the concern, railway will soon conduct the high technology LiDAR (Aerial Ground) Survey. The move will be carried out with the help of private agencies.

The southern railway plans to run 160km speed trains connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Shornur in 2025. If made into a reality, the train will reach Ernakulam from Thiruvananthapuram in just one hour's time. The railway, en route of the journey, plans to increase speed in some sectors. For this, a survey is mandatory to check the curves and turns that are many in the southern terrain.

Many such curves can't be made straight. If done, fear looms about a change in alignment which can invite disaster. As part of the introduction, walls will be constructed to stop people from irresponsibly crossing tracks, mostly in areas where the superfast trains run. Automatic signals will come into effect bringing in precision and safety. Kochuveli station will have two more stations and a special yard just for the upkeep of elite high-speed trains.

Meanwhile, in Kerala, Vande Bharat trains will run at a speed not crossing 100km per hour. Normally, Vande Bharat flies at 160km per hour. The dangerous turns and serpentine curves make Kerala an anomaly for such trains to traverse. Till Ernakulam, the train will move at a speed of 100km per hour. Later till Shornur, the speed will be 90km. There are 626 turns in Kerala, and among these, 200 are considered very risky and can easily derail a train if exceeded the normal speed.